Solving the Ward Puzzle

Like other rural and regional areas in Australia, West Moreton has struggled to attract and retain medical officers. And when border closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated this problem (with close to 30 per cent of the medical officer workforce lost in addition to other staff shortages as a result of sick leave and isolation requirements), the health service decided to take a different approach.

To address this emergent crisis, medical officers adopted a ward-based roster instead of the traditional team-based structure. Medical officers were assigned to attend to particular wards with a team of resident medical officers (RMOs) assigned to each ward.

This model was inspired by similar models of care demonstrated nationally and internationally and allowed for a smaller number of staff to cover the hospital, while simultaneously improving patient safety and minimising-cross-contamination between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 wards. It has also reduced the need for fatigue breaks and overtime.